Saturday, February 4, 2012

HaClique (The Clique) (Israel, 1981)

The title of this LP is something like "Mother - I Do Not Want To Go Thru Rehab" or "Mommy, I Don't Want To Dry Up". Or perhaps "Mother, I Don't Want To Be Weaned" might be better as suggested in the comments. The sound is edgy new wave with some almost punk moments every now and again. There's a second LP from 1983 called "Crowded World". I don't find it as interesting as it is more of a rock/pop LP with some songs tending towards the style of this one. More info.

Clique - Mother - I Do Not Want To Go Thru Rehab LP (CBS 85078, 1981)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the better translation is: Mother I don't want to be weaned.

These guys were considered very punk, very radical in Israel at the time.

Brian C. said...

Wow! I've got a pretty good sized collection of Israeli rock (I've got family there) and I've never even heard of these guys. Israel has a fair amount of folkrock and psych going on in the '60s and '70s, but punk barely caught on to my knowledge. Almost every '80s band used drum machines and synths - even by '87 when the Tel Aviv scene made a comp, it was almost all drum machines. The closest it gets to punk is the band Lipstick who sound like Lene Lovich recording for Crass! I think Factory, Plurex, and Tuxedomoon replaced the Ramones in the Israeli zeitgeist. It's kind of like the early Greek scene (Creep, Enigma, Happening labels - all that zany darkwave - I also have a ton of Greek stuff if you need any) but less D.I.Y., more industrial.

So I am excited to hear Clique and see if they break the mold - although I do like Israeli-wave, they do it very well, and it not surprising for them to sound so anxious, even when I go to Tel Aviv sometimes I get nervous.

But there IS a punk album I wonder if you've heard. It's one of my favorite examples of eccentric punk: "Plonter", by Rami Fortis. It's from '78 and if you haven't heard it, let me send it to you, to post if you like. Rami was in his late 30s I think and was a roadie for the popular band Tamouz - sort of an Israeli Jethro Tull. He looks demented on the cover sings like a wildman on all ten songs. It's neither an exploitation job or a fringe-y freakout. It's a blast of 10 expertly written and creatively produced songs and if a label like Stiff or Chiswick picked it up, it'd be famous. Even the slow song feels punk, and the acoustic song is actually even punker. Even the sort-of-ska song is first rate, and I'm not a ska fan, to put it mildly. The rest of the album is like the best of Wreckless Eric, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and the Vibrators. So whether you've heard it or not, if anyone else reads this, try "Plonter"! It means "Honey!"

Robert said...

It is that band isn't it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HaClique

Anonymous said...

To Brian C. : Fortis' best project IMO was Chromozome. Their 6-song EP from 1980 was probably the earliest DIY release in Israel. The EP has been posted on youtube (also some live footage).

The other bands from that era are hit and miss, but in the late 80s the Top Hat Carriers, Efor Gashum, and Punch were notable (the first being a nihilistic Screamers-type group and the latter two being powerpop). 50 minute documentary about the Top Hat Carriers is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deKf0lslRMg&list=UUPTonBPhTENKLPtQLRv2MdA&index=11&feature=plcp

Hammer said...

Rami Fortis was a brain for most other Israeli No-Wave bands (some of which were based in Belgium of all places).
As for HaClique (הקליק Hebrew), it was mainly made as an art project and a gender-fuck statement, unheard at that time in still-conservative 80's Israel.

This is HaClique at their bestest ever:
http://youtu.be/rOjwvmSOgDQ
Crowded World - עולם צפוף
Note: I always enjoy singing in Dani Dothan's husky, cheeky, fuck-you-to-pieces, grovelling, gruntvox-tacular voice! Amazing inn'he?
Dig.

H.H.

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